He opted out of Miami today. We can use this thread for Bulls related info or just following Lebron all summer. About 4 reporters have already said he would be wise to come to Chicago.
Chicago Bulls are a better option Miami Heat LeBron James if he only cares about winning, the Chicago Bulls are without a doubt a better option than playing in Miami: Article: Zach Lowe http://grantland.com/the-triangle/surveying-the-lebron-landscape/
Miami Heat sources say Lebron James opting out 6 days before deadline was to give teams enough time to make pitch. Teams are eyeing pairing them(Lebron/Melo) together: Source: Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11128345/nba-teams-gear-runs-lebron-james-carmelo-anthony
Re: Chicago Bulls are a better option Chicago Bulls expect them to get involved if Lebron James does embark on a free agent tour: Source: K.C. Johnson http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...on-james-free-agency-20140624,0,5158911.story
Me too TB#1. I hope the FO stays focused on their original plans. I do, however, find it odd that Lebron opted out w/o telling the other two first. Riley said all of the right things in a statement that they knew and how he encourages all players to do what is in their hearts, etc; but, what else is he going to say? This was a shocker? He cant say that.
A part of me thinks this is a good time to double down on Melo. There seems to be a lot of mutual interest, and he's always compared himself to Lebron. Maintaining him as the first priority would be a good way to signal our belief in his abilities as a player.
Portland has no chance for Lebron . . . so I hope he ends up with the Bulls. Rose/Lebron/Noah would be a fun team to watch
My understanding of things is that LJ had Bird rights with the Heat despite opting out. So there's really nothing to be gained by not opting out. LJ can sign a new contract with the Heat for a lot less or a lot more for one year or multiple years. This move was all about flexibility. (But I think LJ is a Clipper.)
LBJ won't be able to re-sign to a re-tooled Heat. The cap hold on his contract until he signs with a different team will prevent Miami from making any significant moves, so he is either going to stay for the Bird money and the same key team or take his talents away from South Beach. Of course, with so few players under contract maybe the cap hold and the other 2 of the big 3 isn't holding Miami back but LBJ would be looking at a team that is top heavy but with a waaaaaaay steep talent drop off, more than likely and he is still licking his wounds after getting beat by a less flashy team that used depth to maximum potential.
